AP Photo / Charlie RiedelThe Sooners may be in the national title game, but they aren't No. 1... yet.

Here are my final rankings prior to bowl season, and as expected, I don't agree completely with the BCS standings.

What a shock!

In the end, I don't know that it will matter. Florida is my No. 1, so of course if the Gators win, they'll be my No. 1 in the final rankings too. The Sooners, even though they rank just third for me, would still figure to leapfrog Texas with a win over Florida -- I think that highly of the Gators at this point (my fiancee', an FSU fan, probably just winced in revulsion reading that).

Regardless, things should take care of themselves come bowl season.

For the complete rankings, read on.

1. FLORIDA (12-1)
Previous rank: No. 4
Latest result: Defeated Alabama 31-20
Up next: vs. Oklahoma in BCS Championship Game (Jan. 8)
Gladow's take: I'm not entirely sure this is the best team in the country, but I do have to say they have the most impressive win over the last month of the season by dumping Alabama last week.

2. TEXAS (11-1)
Previous rank: No. 2
Latest result: Defeated Texas A&M 49-9
Up next: vs. Ohio State in Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 5)
Gladow's take: Texas is destined to be the bridesmaid this season, which is a shame, given what the Longhorns have accomplished. A win against Ohio State would set them up for another great run in 2009.

4. ALABAMA (12-1)
Previous rank: No. 1
Latest result: Lost to Florida 31-20
Up next: vs. Utah in Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2)
Gladow's take: Figuring out where exactly to rest the Tide wasn't easy, but in the end, it's hard to justify punishing this team too much for a hard-fought loss to the nation's hottest team.

5. PENN STATE (11-1)
Previous rank: No. 5
Latest result: Defeated Michigan State 49-18
Up next: vs. Southern Cal in Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Gladow's take: USC made this long-projected Rose Bowl matchup official by taking care of business against UCLA. Now we get to see the "Spread HD" attempt to work its magic against USC's stingy defense.

6. SOUTHERN CAL (11-1)
Previous rank: No. 6
Latest result: Defeated UCLA 28-7
Up next: vs. Penn State in Rose Bowl (Jan. 1)
Gladow's take: I don't know that anyone would make a case for this team being No. 1 thanks to its often-times putrid offense, but good luck to any offense trying to move the ball against the Trojans' top-ranked defense.

7. UTAH (12-0)
Previous rank: No. 7
Latest result: Defeated BYU 48-24
Up next: vs. Alabama in Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2)
Gladow's take: Utah is sure to get the short end of the stick in the hype department in the Sugar Bowl against Nick Saban and Alabama, but the Utes will prefer it that way - they want to take on the underdog mentality.

8. TEXAS TECH (11-1)
Previous rank: No. 8
Latest result: Defeated Baylor 35-28
Up next: vs. Mississippi in Cotton Bowl (Jan. 2)
Gladow's take: With apologies to the Rebels, Texas Tech may have drawn the least inspiring bowl opponent of any team in the Top 10. That immediately puts the Red Raiders on full upset alert.

9. OHIO STATE (10-2)
Previous rank: No. 9
Latest result: Defeated Michigan 42-7
Up next: vs. Texas in Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 5)
Gladow's take: The Buckeyes have yet to do much of anything to impress anybody this season. That can change significantly with a win over Texas in the Fiesta Bowl

10. BOISE STATE (12-0)
Previous rank: No. 10
Latest result: Defeated Fresno State 61-10
Up next: vs. TCU in Poinsettia Bowl (Dec. 23)
Gladow's take: Tough draw for the Broncos means a better game for the fans. It will be interesting to see how Boise State's high-powered offense fares against TCU's tough defense.

11. CINCINNATI (11-2)
Previous rank: No. 11
Latest result: Defeated Hawaii 29-24
Up next: vs. Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Gladow's take: Does anyone outside of Cincinnati honestly believe in this team? The folks in the Big East probably do, as the Bearcats made short work of most of them. Credit an above-average passing attack and stingy run defense for much of that.

12. GEORGIA TECH (9-3)
Previous rank: No. 13
Latest result: Defeated Georgia 45-42
Up next: vs. LSU in Chick-fil-A Bowl (Dec. 31)
Gladow's take: One of the few things the Tigers did well in 2008 (if you go by the numbers) was stop the run (No. 15 overall). That should at least give them a fighting chance against Georgia Tech's triple option attack.

13. OREGON (9-3)
Previous rank: No. 14
Latest result: Defeated Oregon State 65-38
Up next: vs. Oklahoma State in Holiday Bowl (Dec. 30)
Gladow's take: All things considered, the Ducks flew under the radar this year. The most surprising thing about Oregon? How about that the Ducks rushed for nearly as many yards (3,334) as Georgia Tech did (3,388)?

14. GEORGIA (9-3)
Previous rank: No. 15
Latest result: Lost to Georgia Tech 45-42
Up next: vs. Michigan State in Capital One Bowl (Jan. 1)
Gladow's take: Fresh off an embarrassing effort against Tech's running attack, the Bulldogs now get to prepare for Javon Ringer. It might take another big game out of Knowshon Moreno and Matt Stafford to win this one.

15. OKLAHOMA STATE (9-3)
Previous rank: No. 16
Latest result: Lost to Oklahoma 61-41
Up next: vs. Oregon in Holiday Bowl (Dec. 30)
Gladow's take: Their matchup with Oregon should make the Holiday Bowl one of the most exciting bowls this holiday season, but that's not exactly out of the ordinary for the folks in San Diego.

17. PITTSBURGH (9-3)
Previous rank: No. 19
Latest result: Defeated Connecticut 34-10
Up next: vs. Oregon State in Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
Gladow's take: Pittsburgh would seem to be excited to be in the Sun Bowl, while Oregon State is probably disappointed. That's what makes so many of these matchups so compelling - will talent or desire win out?

18. VIRGINIA TECH (9-4)
Previous rank: No. 25
Latest result: Defeated Boston College 30-12
Up next: vs. Cincinnati in Orange Bowl (Jan. 1)
Gladow's take: At one point, I had the Hokies in my top ten, so it's not like this team is without its merits. Still, it looks like a tough matchup for them against the Big East champs.

19. MISSISSIPPI (8-4)
Previous rank: No. 21
Latest result: Defeated Mississippi State 45-0
Up next: vs. Texas Tech in Cotton Bowl (Jan. 2)
Gladow's take: Jevan Snead impressed plenty of people with his debut season in Oxford, but he may to play keep away to give his team a chance against the Red Raiders in Dallas.

20. MICHIGAN STATE (9-3)
Previous rank: No. 22
Latest result: Lost to Penn State 49-18
Up next: vs. Georgia in Capitol One Bowl (Jan. 1)
Gladow's take: The Spartans' big-game performance has been less than stellar so far as they lost 45-7 to Ohio State and 49-18 to Penn State. Can a better result be in store against three-loss Georgia?

21. OREGON STATE (8-4)
Previous rank: No. 23
Latest result: Lost to Oregon 65-38
Up next: vs. Pittsburgh in Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)
Gladow's take: The matchup with Pittsburgh pits two of the nation's elite tailbacks against one another -- Jacquizz Rodgers and LeSean McCoy. How each team's defense fares against those elite talents may tell the tale.

22. IOWA (8-4)
Previous rank: No. 24
Latest result: Defeated Minnesota 55-0
Up next: vs. South Carolina in Outback Bowl (Jan. 1)
Gladow's take: South Carolina is a team on a tumble, so it would appear Iowa got a favorable matchup. Of course the moment the Hawkeyes get too confident of that fact is the moment they'll get upset.

23. BOSTON COLLEGE (9-4)
Previous rank: No. 18
Latest result: Lost to Virginia Tech 30-12
Up next: vs. Vanderbilt in Music City Bowl (Dec. 31)
Gladow's take: I may be a bit kind leaving this team in the rankings, considering it just got blown out by Virginia Tech. But the Eagles would figure to be prohibitive favorites against Vandy, so they can rebound quickly.

24. BALL STATE (12-1)
Previous rank: No. 12
Latest result: Lost to Buffalo 42-24
Up next: vs. Tulsa in GMAC Bowl (Jan. 6)
Gladow's take: What a humbling loss against Buffalo. Now the Cardinals have to start to gameplan for the explosive Tulsa offense (No. 1 in college football). Good luck with that.

25. MISSOURI (9-4)
Previous rank: No. 20
Latest result: Lost to Oklahoma 62-21
Up next: vs. Northwestern in Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29)
Gladow's take: I know the Tigers just suffered a humiliating loss in the Big 12 Championship Game, but are any of the teams below them actually any better? We may find out the answer with the Tigers set to take on Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl.